Method and Apparatus for Transmitting Transport Channels Over a Physical Channel of a Cellular Communication System

1. A cellular communication network node comprising a transmitter operably coupled to signal processing logic and arranged to transmit at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit generated by the signal processing logic; wherein the signal processing logic is operable to, upon receipt of a message to be transmitted, set the at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit on a first unit of resource to indicate that a direct signalling channel is active in at least a second unit of resource; and the signal processing logic is further operable to reallocate the at least second unit of resource for use by at least one channel other than the at least one direct signaling channel when no message is to be transmitted.

2. The cellular communication network node of claim 1 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to generate direct signalling channel resource information comprising a description of the physical resources and transport formats applied to the direct signalling channel.

3. The cellular communication network node of claim 1 wherein the first unit of resource is provided in a first frame and the second unit of resource is provided in a second frame.

4. The cellular communication network node of claim 3 wherein the second frame is a next consecutive frame to the first frame.

5. The cellular communication network node of claim 1 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to allocate a plurality of direct signalling channels to the at least second unit of resource.

6. The cellular communication network node of claim 5 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to generate a single direct signalling channel indicator bit for transmission.

7. The cellular communication network node of claim 5 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to generate a plurality of direct signalling channel indicator bits, one bit for each direct signalling channel.

8. The cellular communication network node of claim 5 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to generate at least one indicator bit for transmission, wherein each indicator bit corresponds to a plurality of direct signalling channels.

9. The cellular communication network node of claim 5 wherein the signal processing logic, upon receipt of at least one message to be transmitted, is operable to re-allocate the at least second unit of resource not required for transmitting the at least one message, for use by at least one channel other than the direct signalling channel.

10. The cellular communication network node of claim 1 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to allocate a plurality of direct signalling channels to a plurality of units of resource.

11. The cellular communication network node of claim 1 wherein the at least one direct signalling channel is a Forward Access Channel(s) (FACH) within a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network.

12. The cellular communication network node of claim 11 wherein the at least one unit of resource is re-allocated for use by a High Speed Downlink Shared CHannel (HS-DSCH).

13. The cellular communication network node of claim 11 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to generate the at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit within a Broadcast CHannel (BCH).

14. The cellular communication network node of claim 13 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to locate the at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit within a Transport Format Combination Indicator (TFCI) type field within the BCH.

15. The cellular communication network node of claim 13 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to generate the at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit as part of a data portion of the BCH for broadcast.

16. The cellular communication network node of claim 1 wherein the signal processing logic is operable to generate the at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit within at least one of: (i) a dedicated direct signalling channel indicator channel; (ii) a dedicated paging indicator channel of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network; or (iii) a E-DCH Hybrid ARQ Indicator CHannel (E-HICH) of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network.

17. A method for transmitting transport channels over a physical channel of a cellular communication system, the method comprising: determining whether at least one message is to be transmitted; if at least one message is to be transmitted, scheduling the at least one message for transmission in at least a second unit of resource allocated to at least one direct signalling channel; setting at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit on a first unit of resource to indicate that a direct signaling channel is active in at least the second unit of resource; and if no message is to be transmitted, re-allocating the at least second unit of resource for use by at least one channel other than the at least one direct signalling channel.

18. A non-transitory computer program product comprising program code for signalling in a wireless communication system from a network element to a wireless communication unit, the non-transitory computer program product comprising program code for: setting, upon receipt of a message to be transmitted, at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit on a first unit of resource to indicate that a direct signalling channel is active in at least the second unit of resource; transmitting a message in at least a second unit of resource allocated for use as a direct signalling channel; and re-allocating the at least second unit of resource for use by at least one channel other than the at least one direct signalling channel when no message is to be transmitted.

19. A wireless communication unit comprising a receiver configured: to receive a signalling message via a first unit of resource in a wireless communication system from a cellular communication network node, the signalling message providing at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit to indicate that a direct signalling channel is active in at least a second unit of resource: to receive the direct signalling channel via the at least second unit of resource in response to a status of the received at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit; and to receive at least one channel other than the direct signalling channel using at least the second unit of resource for modifying the first unit of resource in response to a status of the at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit.

20. The wireless communication unit of claim 19 wherein the direct signalling channel is a Forward Access CHannel (FACH) of a 3.sup.rd Generation partnership project communication system.

21. The wireless communication unit of claim 19 wherein the first set of resources is allocated in a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH).

22. A method for resource allocation in a wireless communication system by a wireless communication unit, the method comprising: receiving at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit, from a communication channel on a first unit of resource, the at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit indicating that a direct signalling channel is active in at least a second unit of resource; and receiving the direct signalling channel in at least the second unit of resources in response to a status of the received at least one direct signalling channel indicator bit; and receiving at least one channel other than the direct signalling channel using at least the at least one second unit of resource.